1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pre-spinning and lubricating system for worm drive power transmissions and a new bearing assembly and components thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional worm gear sets employ a worm screw and fixed tooth or roller tooth gear wheel. Although such worm gear sets are successful drive mechanisms at low speeds, their efficiencies are limited due to the rubbing or skidding contact between the teeth of the gear wheel and the screw thread of the worm screw.
Although the roller pin design is significantly more efficient than the solid tooth arrangement, further improvement in efficiency can be realized by a spray mist, pre-spin, lubricating system in place of the conventional method of an oil reservoir dip system. Submerging the roller pins in a lubricant at the bottom of the gear wheel cycle stops any spinning rotation of the roller pins that was gained from exiting the screw path causing a skidding action when re-entering the screw thread path. The Brackett U.S. Pat. No. 3,820,423 shows a solid roller pin design.
The Brackett patents employ separate bearing races supporting the front and the back bearings of the roller pins. The design has a limited capacity to withstand torque loads between the roller pins and the screw thread contact.